Apple Stores reportedly in the midst of ‘significant layoffs’ in U.S., Canada and U.K.

Apple (AAPL), the most profitable consumer electronics company in the world, is reportedly in the midst of a “significant” but quiet workforce reduction at its Apple Stores in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. MacRumors on Monday said that it has received a number of reports claiming recent hires at Apple Stores in all three locales are being terminated. The site mentions one reported claiming that all staffers who had been employed for less than six months were laid off from one U.K. Apple Store, and another report from a worker claiming to have been recently let go states that “three separate training groups have all been laid off in their entirety within the past week, all of whom were still within their probationary periods as new employees.” MacRumors also claims that a number of long-time workers who had recently been promoted have not received their raises and are being demoted back to their prior roles.